I had a fantastic stay in your hotel and your staff are extremely friendly and the food was excellent. Paula showed me around your farm and I have to say it was very very impressive. Gill obviously enjoyed the stud farm section which made her weekend.

Gerhard Patzer
GM Hilton Hotel Durban

I never in my wildest dreams could’ve imagined such a tranquil and hospitable place could be found in the mixture of some of the finest meals and the most impressive horses I’ve ever seen.

We spent one night at Hartford House in the Siyabonga suite for a special celebration, our stay was absolute bliss, from our drive to the hotel passing beautiful green scenery to our departure after breakfast on Sunday morning. From the minute you enter the gates absolute silence and beauty greet you, everywhere you look you see evidence to detail, the grounds are in pristine condition, the gardens a gorgeous riot of colour.

Saturday dinner is an event at Hartford, with live entertainment by Zulu dancers, however unfortunately for us there was a problem and the dancers could not turn up, but Mick’s beautiful story telling made us proud to be South African and we learned more about our country’s as well as Hartford’s rich history. The food was sublime, Jackie is truly a star, she accommodated us with our dietary requirements, so we were able to enjoy a gastronomic feast. The staff were friendly and attentive.

When we got back to our room, the staff had been in to turn down the bed, the chocolates were delicious and the rose petals on the bed and in the bath made us feel very special.

Sunday breakfast was not the usual buffet but another gastronomic feast.

Sadly we had to leave, but the peace and tranquility of the place refreshed our souls. We will return God willing.

Warmest regards
Rabia and Mohammed

Dear Cheryl and Mick

I had planned to send you an e-mail yesterday, however I am not sure what happened to the day!

Marge and Wayne left to go back to OZ yesterday, and asked me to convey their thanks to you for the amazing Room and incredible stay.

Tania and I cannot thank you enough for your hospitality, amazing room, delicious cuisine (best meal I have had in ages), and more than that, it was fantastic to see you both.

We love Hartford and everything it stands for!

Come and stay soon.
Wayne and Tania

You have made possible one of the best one-week breaks Micheline and I have ever enjoyed, full of discovery and marvels!

You have been the most wonderful hosts, full of attention, generosity and discreet availability during our stay, in spite of the week being probably amongst the busiest of your year. Thank you for ‘prompting’ Micheline and I to have the opportunity to join the Maigrots and Edouard, to know you a little more and to enjoy your hospitality in such grandeur so rich in history, landscapes, stunning horses and a grand old magical house…. and all offered with so much simplicity and great straightforward kindness and friendship.

The values that you uphold of quality, of beauty, of excellence but also of evident fairness and loyalty to your staff, of attention to your compatriots who need recognition and a chance in life, of service to tradition and history but also of daring for the future make you both very special persons to know and to have the pleasure to have met. The way you coped with bad Trou-d’Eau-Douce weather and the rusticity of the bungalow had already told us a good part of the story. The way you cherish what you have and spontaneously share it with others tell the rest.

If we enjoyed thoroughly the excitement of the gallops and the visit of the stud farm with the great proud stallions and patient mares with their foals at Summerhill, and the excellence of the cuisine, of your hospitality and of comfort at Hartford House, you cannot know how well the last week-end at Pennington crowned our short stay. The old house is charming for us old “colonials” and your team there personifies kindness and service. Dudu is the old nanny Edouard and I had when we were young and she even cooks like her!

It was pleasant to relax, walk on the beach, “poach” some of your mussels and enjoy life quietly with some good wine and rugby and racing! When we left, the sun was shining and the return trip was uneventful…Strange to be back home, without the vast expanses of Africa, the grandeur of the mountains, the kilometres of beach, the gorgeous old Houses and horses bred for Gods!

Another country, another beauty. We do not complain about our lagoons and hills, our beaches and our sunsets. It is even pointless to compare. We are so grateful that thanks to you we have seen, appreciated and tasted some gems of South Africa we simply did not know.

Daniel Nairac
Black River

Hello Mick and Cheryl, I have taken the time to go through all your different on-line sights and wow. You have such a professional webmaster, from exceptional photos, to updates on foal births etc. My heart is very heavy not being with you for the gallops. As usual, you put on a world-class event. The two of you are very special and have a very special "family" at both Summerhill and Hartford. Anyway, just wanted to let you know. Take care of yourselves and look forward to seeing you soon.
Kind regards Jules

Dear Mick and Cheryl,

After having arrived back in Johannesburg last night, I thought it would be
remiss of me not to jot both of you an e-mail today.

Tandi and I are deeply grateful and taken aback by your kind generosity and
hospitality at Hartford and Summerhill over the past few days. We were
overawed by the kindness and friendship amongst all who attended the two
nights there and wanted to thank you both for absolutely everything which
made us feel very special and privileged.

On a final note, your staff were brilliant and you can be proud of running
the most professional establishments that are Hartford and Summerhill. May
you enjoy many more No. 1 awards which you so richly deserve.

Thanks again to you both,
Nico and Tandi Kritsiotis.

Dear Mick and Cheryl,

Thank you both very much for a most enjoyable stay at Hartford House. We thoroughly enjoyed staying in one of your finest suites and dining in such a superb restaurant with outstanding food. The gallops were a great success and you have a brilliant team.

We cannot thank you enough for such a lovely time and it was great to see you both.

Many thanks.

All the best
Joey and Fee

To the Hartford House team

We would just like to thank you all for such an amazing and truly unforgettable stay at Hartford, from the 28th to the 30th of July.

The experience started the moment we entered the Hartford gate and unfortunately ended an extremely quick two days later when we left. The suite we stayed in, number 15, was absolutely stunning. The position, lay out and décor created an unbelievable ambience. The meals which Jackie and her team prepared still leave our mouth’s watering and the general helpfulness, attentiveness and personal attention we received from the staff made us feel very welcome! We really could not have thought of a better place to have stayed at in the Drakensberg to make our engagement weekend as unbelievable and as special as it was.

We have and will continue to highly recommend Hartford to all friends, family and colleagues.

We will definitely see you again!

Regards
David and Nicole van der Westhuizen

Dear Mick and Cheryl

From start to finish you have obviously carefully hand picked every one of your staff to think with the same meticulous eye for detail as you do…

From the moment I drove in the gate, to the moment I had to sadly drive out, I was overwhelmed by the sense of pride everyone on the property has about their place of work and their roles in delivering outstanding customer service. To tell the truth I am jealous!!

I could pay no higher compliment – as jealousy drives me to achieve better.

The meal…out of this world!! I have been telling all my friends about it this weekend. I am fortunate enough to have eaten at elBulli and the Fat Duck and I believe that Ferran Adria and Heston Blumenthal better watch out. I have also worked in some of the finest hotels in Turkey, Dubai, London and San Sebastian, so know how hard it is to consistently deliver and maintain on a promise that was much easier to set. How each individual taste blended together in such symphony was magnificent and I truly wish you and your chefs all the very very best for every success that could possibly come their way. In fact an old colleague Jack Oh Yong at the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai is busy teaching Gary Rhodes how to do a “pucker” duck – he should have rather come to Mooi River.

I have told Greta to make sure that Rebecca is around to say hello and do your turndowns when we see you in November. Greta was so proud when I passed on your compliments.

If you would ever consider an exchange of sorts – an employee of your choice would be welcome to come and spend a week at Emperor’s Palace to see how we create our magic for the thousands. In turn we could send a chef down to learn a thing, or two about fine dining.

Again…Compliments to you and your entire team – absolutely beautiful.

Best regards
Wayne Hill

General Manager
Hotels and Resort Operations
Emperors Palace